Becerra v. Empire Health Foundation, For Valley Hospital Medical Center
Decided June 24, 2022. Elena Kagan delivered the opinion of the Court.
Docket 20-1312 · 597 U.S. 424 (2022) · Cited 29 times
Holding
For purposes of calculating the Medicare fraction—one of two fractions the Medicare program uses to adjust the rates paid to hospitals that serve a higher-than-usual percentage of low-income patients—those individuals “entitled to [Medicare Part A] benefits” are all those qualifying for the program, regardless of whether they receive Medicare payments for part or all of a hospital stay.
The Court’s statement of the holding, from the opinion’s syllabus. The syllabus is prepared by the Reporter of Decisions and is not part of the opinion of the Court. Read the official opinion for authority.
How the Justices voted
Decided 5–4.
Majority · 5
- Clarence Thomas
- Sonia Sotomayor
- Elena Kagan · delivered the opinion of the Court
- Amy Coney Barrett
- Stephen G. Breyer
Dissenting · 4
- John G. Roberts, Jr.
- Samuel A. Alito, Jr.
- Neil M. Gorsuch
- Brett M. Kavanaugh · filed a dissenting opinion
“Concurring” means agreeing with the outcome; any split shown is the Court’s judgment, not each Justice’s reasoning. The lineup is the syllabus’s disposition of who wrote and joined each opinion. Source: the opinion’s syllabus (supremecourt.gov).
Precedents cited
Supreme Court decisions this opinion relies on, ordered by how often it cites each. Cases in our collection link through; others are named.
- Whitman v. American Trucking Assns., Inc. · 531 U.S. 457 (2001)
- United States v. Detroit Timber & Lumber Co. · 200 U.S. 321 (1906)
- Sebelius v. Auburn Regional Medical Center · 568 U.S. 145 (2013)
- Bowen v. Galbreath · 485 U.S. 74 (1988)
Cited by
Later Supreme Court opinions in our collection that cite this case.
- Advocate Christ Medical Center v. Kennedy · 605 U.S. 1 (2025)
- Stanley v. City of Sanford · 606 U.S. 46 (2025)
Official text
Read the official opinion (PDF, supremecourt.gov)
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Elena Kagan’s profile · All Supreme Court opinions · The Supreme Court
Source: Supreme Court of the United States, slip opinions (2022). Citation count from the Free Law Project’s CourtListener bulk data. Data last verified 2026-08-15. Informational only; verify against the primary source before relying. Not a consumer report (FCRA).